Candle dipping machine



0a. 2a, 1969 N, G, BA FRED 3,414,759

CANDLE. DIPPING mcamn Filed Nov. 13. 196'? r :5 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTORmus ssoae BARFRED BY 9/ ATTD 15 V 041.28, 1969 N. s. 'BARFRED 3,474,759

. CANDLE DIPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 13, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTORmus scone amrazo ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,474,759 CANDLE DIPPINGMACHINE Niels Georg Barfred, Hojbjerghus, Holte, Denmark Filed Nov. 13,1967, Ser. No. 682,294 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov.14, 1966, 50,982/66 Int. Cl. Bc 3/10, 3/132 US. Cl. 118-426 5 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a machinefor use in surface treating of preformed candles.

The most common constituents of candles are stearin (stearic acid) andparaffin. The latter emits more light per unit weight than does theformer, but has certain drawbacks owing to the spread between itsmelting point and softening point. The addition of stearin to paratiintends to minimize these drawbacks.

In order to counteract dripping, it is further usual to provide an outerlayer on the candles containing an increased proportion of stearin, orcontaining a higher melting paraflin to provide for more rapid meltingof the inner portion than of the outer rim of the candle.

In making decorative candles, it is also usual to provide the candlewith an outer coloured layer.

Further a glossy or glazed surface is obtained by immersing the candlein cold water immediately after the last dipping in melted candlecomposition.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide a machine, inwhich these and other operations can be performed mechanically insuccession to one another.

With this object in view, the machine of the invention comprises arotatable multi-arm device with a number of arms radiating from avertical shaft, said number corresponding to the number of operations tobe performed on the candles plus two, and means for raising and loweringsaid multi-arm device at a number of operational stations, and foradvancing the arms stepwise from one of said operational stations to thenext one, each of the arms being provided with a clip for gripping thewick ends of a row of candles, and means being further provided foropening the clips at the input and output stations in the latter stageof the downward movement of the multi-arm device.

The machine is advantageous in that no manual handling of the candles isneeded, since once the candles have been gripped, they remain suspendedfrom the arm in question during all of the surface finishing treatmentsand until finally released.

The machine of the invention is preferably operated by means ofhydraulic cylinders driven by pressurized air, an embodiment comprisinga ratchet wheel mechanism for the stepwise turning of the multi-armdevice, a hydraulic cylinder for turning the ratchet wheel one step at atime, and means for activating said hydraulic cylinder in timed relationto the raising of the multi-arm device.

The pressurized air driving makes for smooth stepice wise movement,which is advantageous, since the candles are suspended only by thewicks, and abrupt movements causing them to swing would mean delays insome of the treatments demanding a fairly exact positioning of thecandles.

In coating the candles as hereinbefore stated, a dipping process isgenerally used, in which the candles are totally immersed in a coatingIbath. To get an even coating layer on tapered candles, the lifting fromthe bath has to be delayed, when the tapering end of the candles isabove the bath surface.

In an embodiment of the present machine, therefore, the raising andlowering means for the multi-arm device are fitted with an adjustabledelaying mechanism adapted for delaying a part of the movement of saidraising and lowering means.

In a preferred embodiment of the machine, two cooperating hydrauliccylinders are provided for raising and lowering the multi-arm device.The cylinders are activated one after the other, and it will beunderstood that it is easy to vary the speed with which the multiarmdevice is moved by each cylinder, to make the two cylinders move withdifferent speeds, and to make one cylinder activate the movement of theother at the end of its own movement, or after a suitable delay.

A further embodiment of the present machine comprises a spring-loadedclip for gripping the Wicks of the candles, a flattened, rotatablemandrel being provided for opening said clip, in the latter stage of thedownward movement of the multi-arm device, by a turn, and allowing theclip to close again in the bottom position of the multi-arm device by afurther 90 turn.

This provides a very simple manner of operating the clips at the desiredtime, for example by fitting the mandrel with a gear wheel cooperatingwith a rack being fitted to the piston rod of the cylinder used inturning the multi-arm device. The number of teeth on the rack and theirposition should provide for a turn of the mandrel during the latter partof the lowering of the multi-arm device on the return movement of thesaid piston rod, the gear wheel running idle on the mandrel during theforward movement of the piston rod.

The invention further relates to a method of surface treating candles bymeans of the machine described hereinbefore, said method comprisinglowering the multiarm device and gripping a number of candles by a firstarm over a loading position, raising the multi-arm device, and turningit through an angle corresponding to the angle between adjacent arms,lowering the device for treatment of the candles, and lifting it againto bring them out of the treatment zone, a furher number of candleshaving been gripped by a second arm at the loading position, repeatingthe process, until the first arm is over a discharge position, adjacentto the loading position, and releasing the treated candles from that armlowering of the multi-arm device.

In the following, the invention will be more fully explained withreference to the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a schematicalside view of an embodiment of the present machine with a part of thecasing broken away,

FIG. 2 shows the machine of FIG. 1 from above,

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a spring-loaded wick gripping clipwith a mandrel for opening the clip,

FIG. 4 is a side view of the clip and mandrel of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a ratchet wheel arrangement for stepwiseturning of the multi-arm device of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a pressurized air drive of the machine.

The machine has six arms 5 in a sort of turnstile arrangement beingdisplaceable up and down on rods 6 carried through bushings 7, which aremounted on a plate 8, to which the arms 5 are attached. The rods 6 aremounted between plates 9 and 10.

The plate 10 is rotatably mounted on top of a house 11 enclosing aratchet wheel 36, which is fixed on the plate 10, and is activated bythe piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder 12 fixed on the housing 11, andadapted to give the plate 10 a 60 turn at each stroke.

The piston rod 13 of a hydraulic cylinder 14, enclosed in the machinecasing 15, serves to move the plate 8 up and down on the rods 6 in timedrelation to the turning of the arms 5. The cylinder 14 may be replacedby two cooperating cylinders to effect a delay in the movement asdescribed hereinafter.

The sides of the hexagonal casing 15 carry supports for the attachmentof various devices for loading, discharging, and surface treating thecandles, as illustrated by a candle holder or support 16, and a vessel17 to hold a surface coating bath. Other devices, which may be attachedto the sides of the casing 15 include a blower or a cooling bath, adevice for forming the candle stick end of the candles, and a tray orslide for receiving the candles after the treatments in the machine.

Under each of the arms 5 a clip 18 is mounted. The clip 18 consists oftwo flat bars 19 and 20 arranged in V-form, the free edges forming thetip 21 of the V. The free edges of the V are kept pressed against oneanother by means of springs.

Lugs 23 and 24 are attached to the flat irons 19 and 20 respectively,said lugs 23 and 24 also being arranged in V-form, but with a smallopening at the tip of the V.

On the casing 15 a mandrel 25 is mounted in radial alignment with thecandle holder 16 and in vertical alignment with the tip of the lugs 23and 24 in the resting position of the corresponding arm 5.

The mandrel 25 is rotatable with a fiat top part 26 of substantiallytriangular form. The top part 26 can be made to turn 90 at a time from aposition where its flat dimension is lying radially to the center of thecasing 15, and to a tangential position.

A mandrel 27 equal to the mandrel 25 is similarly mounted under aneighbouring arm at the delivery station of the machine.

The slip arrangement is shown in further detail in FIGS. 3 and 4. Theflat bars 19 and 20 are hinged on a shaft 22 in a scissor-likearrangement as seen in cross section. Springs 29 keep the free ends ofthe bars 19 and 20 pressed against one another. The shaft 22 isjournalled in supports 30, secured to the arm 5. The lugs 23 and 24 arealso hinged to the shaft 22.

The mandrel 25 is activated by means of a rack 31 engaging a gear wheel32, which is fitted to the mam drel in such a manner as to turn it inone direction only,

the gear wheel idling in the opposite direction.

The gear wheel 32 is activated by a rack 33 with a number of teeth 34corresponding to a 180 turn of the mandrel 25.

As seen in FIG. 5, the rack 33 is driven by the piston rod 35 of thecylinder 12 which also activates the ratchet Wheel 36 by means of a pawlmechanism 37, driven by adjustable stops 38 on the piston rod 35.

FIG. 6 illustrates in a diagrammatic manner the pressurized air drivingof the machine, including activating the mandrel 25 by means of aseparate hydraulic cylinder 40.

Instead of the cylinder 14 for raising and lowering of the multi-armdevice, two cooperating cylinders 41 and 42 are used.

The pressurized air is supplied through a pipe 43 and distributed to thecylinders 40, 41, and 42 through magnet valves 44, 45, and 46,respectively.

The movements of the pistons in the cylinders are 4 limited by terminalstops 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, and 52, cooperating with the magnet valves44,45, and 46.

The machine operates in the following manner: A number of candles 2-8are delivered to the candle holder 16 in substantially upright positionwith the burning ends upwards, while the turnstile is in top positionwith one of the arms 5 just over the holder 16.

The cylinders 41 and 42 are then activated successively to draw down theturnstile. By the downward movement, the triangular top part 26 of themandrel 25 is forced in between the lugs 23 and 24, opening the clip 18just before it arrives at a level with the wick ends of the candles 28.

The downward movement of the turnstile is adjusted so that it stops at aposition, in which the tip 21 of the clip 18 is slightly below the topof the wicks of the candles 28, and when stopping, the cylinder 40activates the top part 26 of the mandrel 25 to turn thereby allowing theclip 18 to close around the wick ends.

After turning of the mandrel part 26 the cylinder 40 activates thehydraulic cylinders 41 and 42 so that the piston rod of the formercarries the turnstile to its topmost position, whereby the candles 28are lifted free of the holder 16.

On the turnstile arriving at the top position, the hydraulic cylinder 12is activated to turn the arms 5 60 in counterclockwise direction, at theend of which movement the cylinders 41 and 42 are again activated, andthis time to pull the turnstile downwards.

Thereby the candles picked up from the candle holder 16 are brought intoa treatment zone, for example a bath containing melted candlecomposition for giving the candles an anti-dripping coating.

At the same time a new set of candles are picked up from the candleholder 16 by the clip 18 of the following arm 5.

It will readily be understood that on repeating the described cycle,each time turning the arms for 60, a number of treatments can beperformed, for example a repeated coating or a fluting of the candlestick ends, a colour dip, and a dip in cold water to solidify thecoatings and to provide a surface finish, before at the last station,the candles are released and collected for packing. 7

It will also be understood that the number of arms 5 in the turnstileshould correspond to the maximum number of operations to be performed,including picking up and delivery of the candles.

I claim:

1. Machine for use in surface treating preformed candles, comprising arotatable multi-arm device with a number of arms radiating from avertical shaft, said number corresponding to the number of operations tobe performed on the candles plus two, means for raising and loweringsaid multi-arm device at a number of operational stations, aratchet-wheel mechanism for the stepwise turning of the .multi-armdevice, a hydraulic cylinder for turning the ratchet-wheel one step at atime, and means for activating said hydraulic cylinder in timed relationto the raising of the multi-arm device, each of the arms being providedwith a clip for gripping the wick ends of a row of candles, and meansbeing further provided for opening the clips at the input and outputstations in the latter stage of the downward movement of the multiarmdevice.

2. Machine as set forth in claim 1, in which the raising and loweringmeans for the multi-arm device are fitted with an adjustable delayingmechanism adapted for delaying a part of the movement of said raisingand lowerrng means.

3. Machine as set forth in claim 2, in which two cooperating hydrauliccylinders are provided for raising and lowering the multi-arm device.

4. Machine as set forth in claim 1, comprising a springloaded clip forgripping the wicks of the candles, a flattened, rotatable mandrel beingprovided for opening said clip, in the latter stage of the downwardmovement of the multi-arm device, by a 90 turn, and allowing the clip toclose again in the bottom position of the multiarm device by a further90 turn.

5. Machine for surface treating candles which comprises a rotatablemulti-arm device with a number of arms radiating from a vertical shaft,means for raising and lowering said multi-arm device when in each of aplurality of rotational positions corresponding to the angle betweenadjacent arms, means for rotating said multiarm device successivelystepwise when in elevated position through an angle corresponding to theangle between adjacent arms, a holder disposed at one of said rotationalpositions adapted to hold a plurality of candles underneath and inalignment with one of said arms with the wicks of the candles heldthereby extending upwardly therefrom, wick gripping means extendinglongitudinally underneath each of said arms, means for opening the wickgripping means underneath the arm in alignment with candles disposed onsaid holder as said arm approaches the candles wicks during downwardmovement of the multi-arm device, means for closing said wick grippingmeans when said wicks of candles disposed on said holder are received insaid wick gripping means, means for reopening said wick gripping meansduring downward movement of said multi-arm devices to release candlesheld thereby at a discharge position spaced angularly from the positionof said candle holder, and at least one candle treating means fortreating the surface of candles held by said candle gripping means at atreating position angularly disposed between the position of said candleholder and said discharge position when candles held by said wickgripping means are lowered at said treating position upon lowering saidmulti-arm device.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,739,482 12/1929 Griswold 11874XR 3,256,567 6/1966 Bjorck 18-27 XR WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary ExaminerR. I. SMITH, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

